A/N: I know I don't say it enough, but thank you SO much to everyone who reviews! It makes all the blood, sweat and tears that go into writing a fic more than worth it. Haha. I don't have the time to respond to each review personally but I LOVE to read about what you all liked, and you know, the more I know what you like, the more I can write what you like, so it's like a win win! Yay! Enjoy! - pj
There was a method to Jo's madness, hunger hadn't been the only reason she chose to go get something to eat before stopping in sickbay. She knew better than to show her face on the bridge the following morning without having gone for her physical, but she deliberately chose to come during the Gamma shift, hoping her father would not be around and she could complete her mandatory physical in peace. But fate was not on her side. He was still there and, when she thought about it, that shouldn't have surprised her. He was always working.
She spotted him just as she came through the doors, talking to an orderly and exchanging a MediPad for a cup of coffee.
Jo immediately ducked away from the entrance to a shadowed area beside a BioBed on the other side of Sick Bay, hopping up with her back to where her father was entering the room.
"May I help you?" A nurse appeared beside her and Jo smiled pleasantly, making a great effort not to turn her head.
"Hi. I'm Joanna. I'm here for my physical," she said quietly and as nonchalant as she could, hoping he would finish his conversation and leave.
But when had she ever been that lucky?
"Okay," the nurse was young, with striking white hair that was slicked back and braided exotically, it reminded Jo of something she'd seen in Vogue recently, "when did you come on board?"
Jo opened her mouth to answer but never got the chance.
"Two days ago," said a gruff voice with a thick Southern drawl which she usually tried to hide. "I'll take it from here Nurse Bowen."
Jo sighed heavily as she watched the nurse go.
"Isn't this a conflict of interest or something?" She huffed, turning back around to face her father, sure he would throw out the 'I'm CMO and I have to sign off on everything anyway' Card.
He didn't.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, shifting uncomfortably. Her father's blue eyes bore right into her. It reminded her of the way the principal of her school used to look at her. Like he could see right through her.
"Your Medical History arrived today."
Jo frowned, "Okay…anything good?"
McCoy's eyes narrowed, "what happened August 14, 2267?"
The shutters on Jo's eyes slammed shut and she clenched her jaw, but didn't respond.
"You were admitted to Atlanta General Hospital for injuries to your arms and legs as well as-"
"I remember," Jo cut him off harshly and looked away, flipping her hair out of her eyes and shrugged, "I fell out of a tree," she said flatly.
"A tree." McCoy repeated.
"Yeah. A tree," she said, looking at him, daring him to argue, "The carnival was in town. I wanted to go."
McCoy never broke eye contact, "Joanna I've heard better lies from lobotomized Zamari."
Jo tracked the bleeps on a BioBed across the room with sharp blue eyes, "I like the Carnival, same as anybody."
McCoy sighed in exasperation, tossing the MediPad onto the bed beside her, "Jo, your injuries were inconsistent with the kind sustained from a fall."
Jo merely glared at him, her mouth clamped shut.
"Why don't you just tell me the truth-"
"Gee Dad, I don't know," she cut him off, her eyes flashing, "Why weren't you there?"
With that she hopped of the BioBed, not wanting to see the look of shock ad hurt on his face. By the time McCoy had the presence of mind to call her back, she was already gone.
---
Jo had calmed down by the time she got to her quarters, and the adrenalin high of her first day of duty had long since worn off, leaving her feeling drained and exhausted.
Just as she was almost to her door, the door across the hall and nearer to the turbo lift opened, revealing a slightly disheveled looking Uhura.
Jo glanced behind and saw her and clenched her jaw, turning to quicken her pace to her door.
"Yeoman!"
Jo closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath.
"Look Lieutenant, I'm sorry for whatever it is that I did, but I really don't have-" she began, her temper not so much 'in check' as she simply didn't have the energy to show it.
"Actually," Uhura cut her off and Jo looked at her a bit harder. If she didn't know any better she'd say the Lieutenant looked uncomfortable. Even ashamed. A far cry from the cocky, self-righteous woman she was used to seeing, "I'm the one that needs to apologize."
Jo frowned, "Oh. Okay…why?"
Uhura cleared her throat, "for the stunt I pulled earlier. With your um, communiqué with the Admiral."
Jo squared her shoulders, a bit of her usual bravado back in place. A flash of the memory of coming back out onto the bridge after ending the communication and catching rolled eyes scornful smiles thrown in her direction flittered through her mind, "what about it?"
"I was out of line. That's not how a Starfleet officer should act. So I'm apologizing," she finished and with some effort brought her eyes to Joanna's, her back ramrod straight and shoulders square, ready to take anything Jo saw fit to throw at her.
Jo's mouth hung open. That was something she had not thought she'd hear. Ever.
"Oh," she said again, thinking she probably ought to have something more intelligent to say, "Um, okay. You're uh…forgiven." She said. Uhura hesitated and then nodded curtly, making her way down to the door to her quarters. Jo's gaze followed her, her brow still marred in confusion.
Her wits finally returning to her, Jo spoke up before the Lieutenant disappeared inside her quarters.
"Lieutenant," she called, Uhura seemed to hesitate before she looked over, her eyebrows raised in question, "thanks."
The smallest of smiles crossed the Uhura's face and she entered her quarters.
---
Jo sat in a chair near a science station on the port side of the bridge, a stylus clutched in her fingers while she animatedly talked to Ensign Larana, a young half-Orion with the characteristic green skin but the much rarer blonde hair and black eyes she shared with her mother. Jo was catching her up on the most recent developments of The Real Housewives of Meridian Twelve while all the Senior Staff was off in a Meeting.
"And then she was all 'the Emperor can kiss whoever he wants, but she's sub-standard by any cultural ideas," Jo said, flawlessly imitating the sharp Meridi accent and waggling her head to emphasize the point.
"Oh my gosh," Larana laughed, her purple eyes sparkling, "that's a scathing accusation from someone who's never been off her own planet."
"I know right?" Jo shook her head, absently scrolling through the information displayed on her PADD. "So how come you haven't seen it lately? The Captain being a slave driver again?" she teased.
"No, you know that's not Kirk's style" the woman shrugged, "it's just not considered a priority for deep space transmissions."
"Are you serious?" Jo squeaked, trying to come to terms with this information, "And what, pray tell, is considered priority?"
"Oh, insignificant little things like distress signals, Confidential Communiqués from Starfleet and transmissions from families of the crew."
Jo cringed and turned around slowly as Larana dutifully snapped back to her station.
"Captain," she smiled as innocently as she could, "you're done with your Staff meeting." She stood, fighting not to bite her lip. Over her shoulder she saw Spock raise an eyebrow in her direction as he slid into her seat and Chekov and Sulu were in deep discussion as they took the helm.
"Very good Yeoman," Jim nodded, his face and tone stern enough to make her draw herself up to her full height, "do you have that file that I asked about?"
Jo nodded, "yes sir, here you go," she handed him the PADD. Jim seemed a bit surprised and almost immediately the rigid set of his shoulders relaxed.
"Thanks," he started across the bridge, Jo tossing an 'I'm so busted' look over her shoulder at Larana, who gave her a sympathetic smile, and turned to follow him.
"Yeoman."
"Sir?"
"Mr. Scott missed the Senior Staff meeting, head down to Engineering and see if you can find him." He said, sitting in his chair, sifting through the information on the PADD.
"Why can't we use the ship communications?" Jo asked, pointing at the panel on the arm of his chair.
Jim looked up with a narrowed eyed smirk, "nice try Jo, but knowing Scotty he's probably elbow deep in Enterprise's antimatter converter assembly. You're gonna have to find him yourself."
Jo's shoulders slumped, knowing she had no choice, "but Jimmy, it smells like sweat and Dilithium down there."
"Jo," Jim warned, raising one eyebrow.
"Fine, you win," she sighed heavily, and turned toward the turbo lift.
"I'm captain," he said after the doors closed, grinning self-satisfied and leaning back in his chair, "I always win."
TBC